In Time of Need
by Fareway19
Summary: While out on a midnight flight, Hiccup and Astrid run into an Outcast trap that injure Toothless and Hiccup greatly. Barely able to move and definitely powerless to defend, Astrid and Stormfly must protect Hiccup and Toothless from any danger, whether it be Outcast or dragon.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, my next story—or episode—for the wonderful world that is How to Train Your Dragon! This story has been thought out and planned, so there shouldn't be any writer's block. I got this idea from one of my readers, ****Titanic HTTYD Star Wars Fan****; tweaked it a bit, but still the same concept. Thanks again!**

**From here on, as I've said before, my stories will be based on the Defenders of Berk episodes. With that being said, expect more of Dagur.**

**Sorry for any spoilers, but I don't think there is any.**

**Apologies for any typos**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

**In Time of Need**

**Chapter 1**

**Prologue**

**~0~**

A few more tweaks and it was good. Hiccup sat the hammer down on the table before picking up his shield and giving it a look. He gave it a firm shake, its contents popping out like a pop-up book, transforming from a shield into a crossbow. Hiccup smiled from his success and repositioned the crossbow into a shield. He sat it down on the table and walked away to put away the tools he took.

It was close to midnight on Berk, the moon full in the sky. Hiccup was at the forge, working on his project with Toothless lying down just outside. He was actually being patient this time; then again, there wasn't any dragon flight ban anymore.

The night was the time when Toothless and Hiccup loved to fly; Toothless more than Hiccup. Hiccup had nothing against it; in fact he enjoyed it as much as Toothless, but flying under the full moon in the dead of night was like honey to bees for Toothelss. It was more than his favorite past time, it was _him_. They don't call them _Night_ Furies for nothing.

Once Hiccup put all the tools back where he found them, he walked over to his shield only to be met by a certain blonde beauty.

"Astrid…!" He said with slight fright and surprise. She gave him a smile in greeting, her hands behind her back seemingly hiding something.

"What are you doing up this late?" He asked, moving his head to the side to see if he could see anything behind her. She moved her body to block is line of sight once more.

"Oh nothing, just spending some time with Stormfly." She replied, her eyes going up to the ceiling and down around to the floor.

_She's definitely hiding something…_

"Uh huh…" Hiccup looked at her with one hand on his thigh; "Alright, what is it?" he sighed out.

"I need you to fix my axe…" she revealed the secret from behind her and Hiccup's eyes enlarged.

"Oh my—what happened to it?" The blade was completely dented at a ninety degree angle and the handle was loose to the point of just slipping off. He took the weapon in his hands as she explained.

"Well, I was trying to teach Stormfly a new move and she accidently destroyed my axe."

"Destroyed? More like mangled, ate, spit up and then tossed six hundred thousand feet into the ocean." Hiccup exaggerated.

"Beggars can't be choosers…" Astrid replied.

Hiccup sat the axe down on the table next to his shield and examined it.

"So this "new move", what is it for again?"

"Oh well, you know… just for training…" Astrid began, scratching the back of her neck.

"Oh I see, not only are you trying to cheat your way to the top by feeding Stormfly chicken, but now you're training her at night." He looked down at the mangled weapon, "and from what I can see, it's not going well."

Astrid sighed in defeat, "Can you fix it or not?"

"Sorry Astrid, but there is no way I'm going to be able to." Astrid looked down at the ground in sorrow. That was her favorite axe…

Hiccup looked at her and frowned; glancing over at the wall, his frown disappeared.

"But…" he began, causing Astrid's head to lift up. "I can give you this." He took a brand new axe off the wall and handed it to Astrid with a smile. "Me and Gobber just made that the over day."

"Wow," Astrid took the axe with delight and twisted the blade around so the moon's light reflected off of it. "It even has a nice shine to it."

"It's made from steel instead of iron. More sturdier, and stronger; it should survive Stormfly." He added jokingly. Astrid chuckled and thanked him. A thought came to her and she frowned.

"Wait, wouldn't Gobber be looking for it?" she asked, not wanting to be greedy and take something that could very well belong to someone else.

"No, Gobber and I made it for the armory. It has no owner, well, up until now that is."

"Wow, I came here to get my axe fixed and leave with a brand new one. Thank you,"

Hiccup nodded his head, "Your welcome; now if you'll excuse me, Toothless and I are going to go on a midnight flight." He said while leaving the armory and walking over to the now awoken dragon.

"Hey, I can come with you; I'm not really doing anything and I can't get to sleep." She suggested, placing her new axe in its sheath on her back.

"Sure, you can come, but you have to keep up." Hiccup said with a mischievous smile as he hopped onto Toothless and settled himself in.

"Psh, I can keep up with you any day." Astrid accepted the challenge.

"Oh really? Then let's start now." Hiccup strapped in his prosthetic and tested the stirrup before him and Toothless took off into the night sky. Astrid gaped for a while before smirking and running back home to get Stormfly.

Soon enough, Berk was out of view…

* * *

Toothless zipped through the air, diving down to the nearest island as fast as possible; Stormfly hot on his tail. The two had been racing for quite some time now, Hiccup and Toothless being in the lead since the beginning. They flew around Berk a few times before heading out to sea and coming upon one of the dragon islands. Changewing Island to be exact, but Hiccup didn't want to continue their race there. With how the Changewings have been lately and the Outcast threat, he didn't want him and Astrid to get in trouble. So he lead Toothless away and over to the next island.

Toothless soared closer to the sea, Stormfly staying above him but lowering herself as well.

Hiccup glanced back at Astrid, "Give it up Astrid, I've been in the lead all this time, what makes you sure that'll change anytime soon?"

"Don't get too cocky, anything could happen." Stormfly spiked up her thorns and curled her tail. "Like this!" She shot the multitude of darts down at Toothelss and Hiccup; thankfully, Hiccup reacted just in time. He and Toothless dodged to the side and Astrid and Stormfly got a boost to first place.

"Hey!"

"I've got to beat ya somehow!" Astrid yelled behind her, loving the new view. Hiccup narrowed his eyes and smiled, leaning further down to the saddle, he whispered to Toothless some encouragement before the two took off in a burst of speed and past Astrid and Stormfly once more. Now it was Astrid's turn to shout.

"Hey!"

The two continued their race, the island coming towards them fairly quick. Though they couldn't see all too well within the darkness, the island held a firm grip inside Hiccup's memories. The thumb shape island amongst a group that looked like a hand would have gotten his attention, but the ocean did not outline its silhouette and therefore went unseen.

The four of them flew into the unsuspecting fog, their alert just now kicking in. Hiccup and Astrid looked around, not able to see anything but white mist.

"Hiccup, where are we?" Astrid asked, flying Stormfly closer to Toothless.

"I don't know…" Hiccup held the same worry as Astrid; the two thinking the same thing as they looked at each other. Toothless' eyes widened and he screeched as he dodged a tree branch. Hiccup gasped from the sudden action and veered his head forward. The fog continued its unrelenting power and blocked their sights of any oncoming objects.

"Hiccup, I can't see anything, we have to fly up!"

"Good idea!" Hiccup shouted back, watching Astrid and Stormfly ascend before he and Toothelss followed.

A click and then a rustle alerted Hiccup to something below them. Glancing down, he only caught a glimpse of the bola before it entangled itself around him and Toothless' body; the tailfin retracting into its compartment. His screams mixed with Toothless' as they fell down to the island. Astrid turned around and gasped. All she heard was their screams as the fog covered everything else.

Toothless crashed into multiple trees as he descended rapidly, the mist not aiding him at all in terms of seeing. Finally they smashed into the dirt ground, sliding a ways before stopping.

Hiccup grasped his head, his eyes closed due to the roller coaster that was their descent. Most of his body was trapped under the bola that engulfed Toothless, but with a little struggle, he could get out of it.

A large cracking noise caught his attention; though he couldn't see well from the darkness and the fog, he could see the silhouette of the tree that was starting to fall… towards them.

Fear struck him with a thousand bolts of lightning and he fought with the ropes.

"Toothless!" He shouted before reality went dark.

* * *

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**You guys are a glorious consistent! I always strive to reach at least 10 reviews per chapter and you all help me achieve that, thank you so much! I really do enjoy looking up the reviews I get and am more than eager to reply to each and every one—I do always have a comment when I read them. Not to mention the ever growing favorites/follows I'm getting; again thank you!**

**Other than that, I wish you all a good read and I am super excited for the next episode of Defenders of Berk. I'm certain the Iron Gronckle will be just as awesome as Live and Let Fly!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

**In Time of Need**

**Chapter 2**

**~0~**

Astrid steered Stormfly through the fog as best she could; dodging trees as they came up out of seemly nowhere. She was on high alert for any bolas that may spring up at her, but she was more alert for whoever flung them. Though it boggled her, how did they—whoever they may be—see them flying in this fog? Granted, they could have heard them, but it takes sight to perfectly catch a Night Fury with a bola; or just pure luck.

But that didn't matter as much as it was to find Hiccup and Toothless and get out of here. Not only was the island giving off some negativity, especially with the fog, but it now also posed a threat.

"Hiccup!?" Astrid called out, one hand cupped to her mouth for better echo and the other grasping the saddle. "Hiccup!?" She tried again. No answer…

_Great, trying to find a Night Fury at night within a fog is worse than trying to find a needle in a hay stack…_

"Hiccup where are you!?" "Toothless!?" And again, she earned no response. Antoher tree caught her by surprise and Stormfly dodged it. Astrid shook her head and padded Stormfly's side.

"Come on girl, we can't fly in this anymore; land." Stormfly let off a noise of recognition and landed down on the damp grass. A sudden chill rose in Astrid and she shivered from the cold, rubbing her bare arms with her hands to get some warmth. She took them away and cupped her mouth again.

"Hiccup!?" She yelled through the dense mist. Her ear caught a moan in the distance; not a human's but a dragon's. Her eyes lit up and she dashed off in the direction the sound came from.

"Come on Stormfly!" Said Nadder pounded after her rider, a little uneasy with the environment.

"Hiccup; Toothless!?" Another moan, this time softer, replied.

_That's definitely a Night Fury…! _She thought as she readjusted her course.

The fog prevented her from seeing clearly in the distance, so looking for Hiccup and Toothless was pose a problem, not to mention the high risk of her tripping over roots. But to solve that problem, she ran with a bounce in her step, making sure to pick up her feet and leap over any loose undergrowth.

Soon enough, she found a fallen tree, a decently large one compared to the surrounding trees. But it wasn't its size that ultimately caught her attention. She gasped when she saw Toothless' red tail fin ripped and torn to shreds just underneath, his black one right beside it.

Her hands found their way to her mouth, "Oh no…" She stepped forwards twice, her breathing increased; then she dashed over and grasped the trunk with both hands.

"Stormfly, help me!" Astrid begged as she was trying with all her might to lift it up. Stormfly walked over and used her head to lift the trunk up and throw it over Toothless' body.

Another gasp escaped her lips, "Hiccup…"

Hiccup lay there right next to Toothless' back, his limps entangled in the bola that brought them down. His head was off to the side, facing away from Astrid, his eyes closed shut and his mouth slightly ajar. He had a nice cut on his left temple and an even nicer gash on his left side just above the hip. Though both injuries were bleeding quite a bit, Astrid knew there was more than just that.

She crouched down next to his limp body, gently laying her hands down on his stomach and forehead. Hesitating at first, she lowered her ear down onto his chest and closed her eyes waiting for that beat. And she received one, faintly there, but it was present. She opened her eyes and checked his mouth; he was breathing too!

A moan caused her head to swing upward, the black figure just beside her and Hiccup's form moved ever so slightly.

"Toothless…" she whispered. Not wanting to leave Hiccup's side, but seeing how she needed to check up on the Night Fury, she stood up and walked over to Toothless' head. Down on her knees again, she rested his head on her legs and examined his body. The wings looked fine, his red prosthetic tailfin was destroyed, but his other real one looked okay, he seemed sore from the way his eyes dully glanced up at her, but what really brought worry was his left forepaw. It was bleeding badly and looked broken.

Astrid looked around her, fog, trees, and more fog; there wasn't anything she could do at the moment besides build a fire right where they were and try to sleep. And that was her plan. She walked back over to Hiccup, untangled the bola from his body, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and lifted him up half way; as best as she could, she gently dragged him over to Toothless' belly and laid him down next to the Night Fury.

A shiver ran up her spine again and she clutched her arms and rubbed them up and down. Glancing down at Hiccup, she couldn't tell if it was the fog or the fact that he was really pale. Kneeling down beside him again, she brought him up in a hug; closing her eyes tight, pretending that if she focused hard enough, her body heat would flow into Hiccup's faster. She felt someone loom above her and lifted her head up to see Stormfly out spreading her wings over them. The Nadder blasted some white hot flames into the ground and a patch of fire formed.

Astrid smiled, "Thank you Stormfly." Stormfly tilted her head sideways and cooed. Astrid positioned herself so her back was resting against Toothless' belly and Hiccup's head on her chest, her arms wrapped around his torso. Slipping her axe out of its holder, she laid it beside her and thanked the Gods for the fact that she brought it.

Sleep did not come easy and Astrid found herself constantly brushing Hiccup's right hand. She eventually fell asleep with her hand grasping his.

* * *

The morning was the worst out of any Astrid had encountered. Not only was there a brutal crank in her neck, but she woke up remembering that Hiccup was unconscious next to her and Toothless barely awake. Thankfully, the fog let up.

Gently lifting Hiccup up off her and laying him against Toothless, she got up and stretched out her back. Stormfly awoke too and folded her wings back against her sides. Seeing the fire down to small cinders, she fired again at the ground and produced another fire.

Astrid bent down and picked up her axe, holding it firmly in her right hand.

"Alright Stormfly, I need you to look after them while I'm gone. Don't let anything happen to them." She said, Stormfly cooing in response that she understood. Kneeling back down beside Hiccup, Astrid rested her hand against his chest.

"I'll be back," she whispered, glancing back and forth between him and Toothless.

Standing up, she trotted off, jumping over another fallen tree and running off out of view.

After walking for what seemed like twenty minutes or so, Astrid came upon a clearing, a quarry of some sort. Her eyes narrowed from recognition of the place and her grip on the handle of her axe strengthened. And for good reason because none too soon Astrid spotted something out of the corner of her vision. Ducking down behind a rock, she poked her head out and blew her banks out of her eyes. A cloud of smoke flew by in the distant, flying down into the quarry before racing back out and disappearing.

"Smothering Smokebreaths?" She questioned, but soon her memories came to her. "Breakneck Bog, of all the places we had to be stranded on!" She stood up and walked over to the edge, overlooking the quarry. "Well it is better than Outcast Island." Her eyes narrowed. "Speaking of which, Toothless was shot down with a bola…" She glanced down to her axe. Moving it up to her face, she angled it so the reflection was her.

"So who shot it…?"

She looked over in the direction the Smother Smokebreaths disappeared and began her search that way. Running around the rim of the quarry, she followed the sun's rising path. To make sure she didn't get lost, she made indents in the trees with her axe from the quarry onward.

Her first objective was to find some kind of evidence of other Viking threats, the first and foremost being Outcasts. The next being a way to get off of Breakneck Bog and the only way to do that was by dragon. Stormfly was perfectly fine for flight, but Toothless needed time to heal.

They were probably going to be here for a while… hopefully by that time, Stoick and the others back on Berk would bring up a search party and come looking for them. In the meantime, they'd just have to survive.

* * *

**To be continued…**

**Sorry for any typos I missed, and thank you all who viewed, reviewed, favorite, followed, etc.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Quick question, who would like to see a cover image for this story? A friend of mine is willing to make one and give it to me; I wanted to know if you guys would like one. It doesn't matter with me, I kind of like the idea of it, but wanted to get your opinion too. PM or write in the comments of what you may think.**

**Thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, followers and viewers!**

**Sorry for any typos!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

**In Time of Need**

**Chapter 3**

**~0~**

Astrid lumbered back towards Hiccup and Toothless, finally coming back from her hour long hike. She held in her hand a satchel, Hiccup's satchel to be exact. He had it with him before they crashed and Astrid had just found it on the ground while walking back.

She didn't find much on her expedition, besides a water source pretty far away and the fact that they were on Breakneck bog and there were Smothering Smokebreaths around.

As she approached their so called camp, Stormfly stood up and greeted her rider with a screech and a smile. She watched as the young Viking girl passed by and over to the Night Fury and Hiccup.

She knelt down next to Hiccup and sat the satchel down between him and her. Opening it up, she found a container of water, two biscuits, a piece of cloth, and Hiccup's knife. The cloth could easily be made into another tail fin for Toothless, then they could fly out of here, but Hiccup's wound on his side was bleeding a little too much for Astrid. Astrid remained there, thinking of her options.

_If I make this into a tail fin, then we can go home and get Hiccup help, but that would take too long and by the time we do get back, Hiccup's wound would have gotten infected and he'd risk death. It's been hours since the crash and I haven't been able to clean the cut…_

She bit her bottom lip before sighing and closing her eyes.

"I want to get home, get you help…" she opened them to glance at Hiccup; her head bowed, "but that won't do any good if you die before hand. I'm not risking your life." She grasped the cloth in her hand and began taking off his shirt. His skin was littered with discoloring, mainly bruises, and small red scratches. Against the slightly pale skin, they really stood out; the gash on his side being the worst. She brought over the pitcher, dumped some water onto the wound and used a small torn piece of the fabric to clean it up. Hiccup hissed from this, his teeth grated together, but otherwise stayed unconscious. After washing away the dirt, she replaced his shirt and wrapped the remainder of the cloth around Hiccup's torso, finishing the job by tying it in place. The tan fabric covered the football sized stain of blood on his shirt and also held the blood; nothing was seeping through. She took the cloth again and wiped away the now dry blood that dripped down from his temple.

Bringing the pitcher up to his lips, she poured some of the water down his throat, his natural reaction to swallow led it the rest of the way. Glancing up, she noticed Toothless' eyes looking at her. Then she remembered his wound… there wasn't enough cloth to wrap up Toothless' paw, let alone clean it.

Toothless saw the dilemma within her eyes and answered it with a single motion. Bring his paw up towards his face, he licked the wound clean.

"I'm sorry Toothless, I wish I could help." Astrid said. Toothless' ears perked and his eyes darted down to Hiccup. Stormfly perked her head up and walked over to them, looming above Astrid.

A moan escaped Hiccup's lips and his eyes blinked open; his right arm moving ever so slightly.

"Astrid…" Hiccup asked groggily, his eyes barely open and his head slowly moving to the right so he could look at her.

"Hiccup!" she breathed out, "Are you okay?" she asked, grasping his left shoulder and laying a hand down on his chest.

"…I can't move… everything hurts…" he said with a raspy voice.

"Then don't; it'll only make it worse." She replied softly.

"…Where's… Toothless…?"

"He's right here," Astrid laid a hand down on Toothless' belly, "He got hurt in the crash, but I-I think he's okay." Toothless cooed in response and moved his tail closer to himself and Hiccup.

"…Where are we…?"

"Breakneck Bog…" her mind wondered to other important factors, "Are you hungry, thirsty?" Hiccup shook his head no, stopping and leaning over towards the left as a burst of pain shot through his body; his eyes closed tight as he struggled to resist the urge to scream. A groan did escape once or twice, but nothing else.

"Hiccup…?" Astrid asked have a sense that he was in pain. She reached a hand out, but never touched him.

"Astrid…" Hiccup spoke through the agony, "Can you… search my bag…?" She immediately grabbed the satchel.

"For what?" she asked.

"I always… keep a small sack… of herbs from… Gothi…" he gasped out.

Astrid searched, but came up short, "I don't see anything;" A thought came to her, "The bag was slightly open when I found it, the sack must have fallen out." She concluded. Hiccup looked at her from his fetal like position against Toothless. His eyes looked dazed and he seemed to be slipping away.

Astrid's attention was veered away as Stormfly screeched and flared her tail spikes. Suddenly their surroundings began to disappear into a white mist. But this wasn't a fog; Astrid had seen and witnessed this before.

She stood up and brought out her axe. Clutching it with both hands, feet spread apart, and eyes keen on the environment, she yelled over to Stormfly.

"Stormfly, clear the fog!" The Nadder began to flap her wings and the mist slowly vanished. What was left was what Astrid had hopped they wouldn't run into.

Five on count, six, and then seven Smothering Smokebreaths appeared before them, roaring and baring their teeth. Hiccup leaned up further against Toothless, the pain easing away from him.

"Astrid, metal!' he hollered as best he could. Astrid glanced down at her axe and back up at Hiccup. Her attention, however, was diverted to an oncoming Smokebreath. She jumped back and swatted the small grey dragon away with the flat end of her blade; flipping back again to avoid a charge from another one.

Toothless moaned, trying to give a warning as he sensed some of the Smokebreaths coming near. His legs were too sore for him to move, and the only things he really could was his tail and wings.

Three Smothering Smokebreaths slowly approached Hiccup and Toothless, Toothless trying to conceal Hiccup with his wing while growling at the small annoyances. They slowed their pace, but began to produce smoke from their mouths. With their attention on Hiccup, they ignored Toothless' threats and slowly proceeded. However, their minds were quickly changed when spikes landing right in front of them causing them to scatter. Stormfly screeched at them, blaring more of her tail spikes and firing them at the Smokebreaths.

Astrid was busy dodging and smacking away the small things as they constantly attempted to get her axe. A few got some bits, but she never let them yank it away from her firm grip. Her quick and graceful movements were halted when a shout erupted from nearby. Turning around, she saw a Smothering Smokebreath dragging Hiccup away by the prosthetic. Toothless was struggling to get up, hissing and roaring at the beasts.

The Smokebreath flew up to hover above the ground; Hiccup hanging upside down as his prosthetic was clenched tightly within its teeth. Another Smokebreath lunged at Astrid and grabbed her axe. With her grip still secure, she and the dragon were at a tug-a-war. Knowing the grey beast would be stubborn this time and not let go, she raced towards Hiccup, leaping over Toothless and swinging her axe towards the Smothering Smokebreath that held Hiccup hostage. The dragon that was clutching her blade flew off and twisted out of control towards the other. The two slammed into each other; losing its grip on Hiccup, the prosthetic detached from Hiccup's leg as the beast fell to the ground a distance away.

Hiccup landed on his back, his prosthetic still in the mouth of the Smothering Smokebreath. Satisfied with one catch, the group of dragons left the area. Astrid stood breathing hard; her shoulders slumped over as her axe's blade rested on the ground while she held the handle. She quickly sheathed it onto her back and rushed over to Hiccup.

"Hiccup! Are you alright?" she asked between breaths, kneeling down and helping him sit up.

"My leg… they took it…" He replied, his right hand grasping his stomach and his other holding Astrid's arm fairly tight.

Astrid shook her head, "Gobber can make you another one, we just have to—"

"Astrid, if we want off of this island, Toothless has to fly… I can't use his stirrup without my prosthetic." Hiccup said with more strength in his voice. Either he was getting better quick or he was stressed and frightened.

Astrid sighed in defeat, wishing that Hiccup was wrong, but he was right. Unfortunately, things just got a whole lot worse.

* * *

**To be continued…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about not being able to update in two days guys. Wednesday I was unable to get onto the laptop and Thursday I was just too busy. But now I'm back and able to continue on with this wonderful story. I wish to thank all of you who've read and reviewed, decided to like and follow, and those who just took the time to stop and read the title and summary for this story.**

**P.S. The Iron Gronckle is uber awesome! MUST WATCH!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

**In Time of Need**

**Chapter 4**

**~0~**

Stormfly walked on through the forest, Astrid on her back with Hiccup sitting in front of her, Astrid's arms wrapping around his stomach and grasping the saddle. Toothless waddled beside Stormfly, although still injured, he was healing faster than one could imagine and was now able to hobble. Hiccup, however, was still healing; unable to move the majority of his muscles, pale skin, tiredness, and overall weakened state told anyone that he wasn't doing too good. He was half awake while they were relocating and scarcely responsive when Astrid tried to talk to him. She knew that if he were to fall asleep, there was a chance she'd never be able to wake him again.

There were two things that Astrid needed to retrieve, the first and most important being the sack with the healing herbs from Gothi and the second being Hiccup's prosthetic. Seeing how the sack was more than likely going to be extremely difficult, Astrid decided to find those Smothering Smokebreaths and take back Hiccup's prosthetic leg. First things first, she needed to find a safe place for him and Toothless to stay while she and Stormfly were gone; and it soon appeared.

The four came upon a large pond, a waterfall casting its rushing flow into it before the water continued its way down a small stream. This was the place Astrid had found earlier when trying to follow the Smokebreaths.

"Here it is; an ideal place for us to get water. Now all we need is some shelter." Right after she said that, Stormfly screeched and shook herself.

"What is it girl?" Asttrid asked. The Nadder began walking over to the waterfall, Toothless following. Right behind the rushing water was a cave, the wall of liquid concealing it from view. As they walked in the open aperture, Astrid looked around. The ceiling was low, it being possible for her to touch if she out stretched her hand from where she was sitting; it was quite dark, but daylight outside illuminated the environment to a comfortable dim. The two dragons waltzed to the very back of the aperture, not very far from the entrance, and Astrid slid off. She caught Hiccup as he slid off afterwards and held onto him so he wouldn't fall over. Toothless took a place against the wall and lay down on his side; Astrid gently laid Hiccup down against Toothless' belly, said dragon bringing his tail closer and around Hiccup to protect him.

"Okay, you should be safe here," Astrid walked over to Stormfly, sifted through the satchel that hanged down along the side of her and pulled out the water jug. "I'm gonna go fill this up, then head out to find the herbs and your leg." She said, looking at Hiccup. He just nodded his head weakly, his eyes blinking to keep himself awake. She turned and left, Stormfly following her until the water, and then just poked her head out, watching from the entrance of the cave as Astrid filled up the pitcher.

Toothless began to snort, jerking around a little and causing Hiccup to jerk from his soon to be collapse. Rotating his head around to face Toothless on his right, Hiccup lazily looked at his friend.

"Toothless…? What's wrong, bud?" he asked softly, his voice still strained and his strength running away from him. Toothless continued to sneeze, making coughing noises as he struggled with who knew what.

Astrid came back with the pitcher and found Toothless seemingly hacking up a storm.

"Toothless, what's wrong?" she asked, rushing over and setting down the pitcher of water. Toothless let out a soft roar before a low powered plasma blasted shot at the ground near them. Toothless coughed again and shot another plasma blast at the wall, the amethyst light illuminating the aperture for a second before dying out. A couple more times and he seemed to gain more control over his fire power.

Astrid sighed and pet Toothless on the head, "Good, you have your plasma blasts back. Can you do me a favor Toothless?" Toothless cooed in a 'yes' response. "I need you to look after Hiccup while we're gone, don't let him fall asleep; got it?" Toothless lifted his head out of her hands and glanced down at his rider lying up against his stomach. His tail was moved in closer and his wings coming down over like a tent. Looking back over at Astrid he toothlessly smiled at her. Astrid smiled a thank you and jumped onto Stormfly. The two set off out of the cave and off to find the herbs and prosthetic.

Toothless cooed as he nudged his snout against Hiccup's right shoulder, getting what he wanted when he saw his little Hiccup's eyes flutter open. A moan sounded through closed lips and Hiccup readjusted his position as best he could. Toothless laid his head down by Hiccup's right hand which was lying lifeless on the ground next to his body. Feeling the warmth of said Night Fury's breath, Hiccup faintly lifted his hand up with much struggle and stroked his best friend's head. Toothless cooed at the touch while Hiccup smiled before closing his eyes.

* * *

Astrid and Stormfly flew beneath the tree tops for fear of getting caught by another one of those mysterious bola traps. Utilizing Hiccup's teachings, they expertly maneuvered through the obstacles, swerving past the trees and swooping below the branches. They were traveling in the direction that Astrid remembered was the Smothering Smokebreath nest. She didn't know if there were multiple nests or if the nest was still there since last they came, but it was her only lead and she took it.

Coming into a clearing, the two glided to a stop, Stormfly touching down before walking over to the edge of the quarry.

_Follow the quarry and you'll find the nest…_ Astrid thought. The two journeyed on, walking in a slow steady pace as they neared the nest. As the nest came into their sights, Astrid hopped off of the saddle and knelt down behind a rock, Stormfly hiding herself as well.

"Okay, there it is, now all we have to do is wait for them to leave, run in and take Hiccup's leg." She devised the plan. Right on cue, the swarm of smoke fluttered out of the dark hole and flew up into the sky, gone from view.

Astrid took her chance and dashed towards the cave. Once she and Stormfly were inside, they immediately began searching the piles of metal for a certain lower leg shaped prosthetic.

First pile, no; second pile, nothing; third pile, nadda. Astrid was beginning to get frustrated when Stormfly screeched and flexed her tail spikes while looking at the entrance of the cave.

Astrid's eyes widened, "They're back! Quick, hide!" Stormfly went to the back of the cave where the piles of metal were thicker, while Astrid dove into the pile of scrap next to her. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, a bunch of metal shards jabbing your sides and butt, but it'd have to do if she wanted to remain unseen.

Listening in to the sounds that erupted from the ingress, she raised an eyebrow as a peculiar one struck at her the most.

_What the… that doesn't sound like Smothering Smokebreaths, that sounds like… talking…_

She moved away some of the metal from her view and peered out. Coming into the cave were five Outcasts, one of which being Savage. The man had in his hand the usual dragon bone, his friends carrying a colorful rainbow of artillery. One of them spoke up and Astrid listened in.

"Is this the nest, it seems empty."

"They haven't come back yet, ya moron." Savage replied in annoyance, slapping the other foot soldier over the head. "But when they do, we'll drive them out and allow the bola traps to handle the rest. " Astrid's eyes widened in realization,

_That's what took down Toothless and Hiccup…_

"Alvin will be able to train 'em and Berk will soon see some clouds rolling in on their forecast." Savage finished.

"Not good, not good…" Astrid whispered to herself. Looking down she saw something familiar. At the end of the pile of scrap she was hiding in was Hiccup's prosthetic. She mentally gasped and bit her lip. Looking up, the Outcasts were walking towards her, not because they heard or saw her, but because they were curious to see what the Smothering Smokebreaths had hoarded in their nest.

Astrid's eyes darted between Savage, who was walking over to her pile, and Hiccup's metal leg that simply lay right in between them. Her muscles got tense when his eyes landed on the metal leg.

"Hmmm," he murmured before kneeling down and picking the prosthetic up. "Wait a second… I've seen this before…"

Astrid shook her head and lipped the word no.

"This is Hiccup's metal leg…" the dots connected in his mind. The crash site they found where one of their bola traps was set off and the bola itself sprawled on the ground beside a large downed tree, Hiccup's metal leg lying in a Smothering Smokebreath nest amongst other pieces of metal, and the small sack of herbs they also found at the crash site.

Savage began to laugh. Turning around, he addressed himself to his men.

"Oh boys, looks like we're going to be able to bring Alvin back a few more presents. And from the looks of things," Savage gestured to the prosthetic in his hand, "I assume it'll be a very easy catch." He finished with a devilish smile.

* * *

**To be continued…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the wait guys, but I can't seem to get any free time during the weekends. Since I'll be starting work here soon, my schedule for updating may take longer.**

**Alright, so I trust that I kept to my word and there aren't any spoilers for those of you who have to wait a week or so longer for the episodes. The Night and The Fury is going to be awesome though! Dagur makes his entrances from what I've seen in the sneak peek. I'll have to keep in mind that Dagur has now fully outlined himself within his name: D.E.R.A.N.G.E.D. I still can't believe he actually fell for that dragon raid. I mean, I never would have thought him to be the one to run so quickly. Hmmmm, he might be all bark and no bite, but then again, he is deranged so he's kind of ****_out there_****…**

**Okay, enough yapping; on to chapter 5. Enjoy the read!**

**Warning! The last part may be a little gruesome, so beware**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

**In Time of Need**

**Chapter 5**

**~0~**

Savage and the other Outcasts stood within the Smothering Smokebreath nest, Hiccup's metal leg clutched in Savage's grasp. His presence now known to the enemy from the discovery of his prosthetic, Hiccup's life was in more danger now than it had been before.

Astrid took this time to weigh her options; her eyes darting from Savage to the metal leg in his hand and back up to Savage. There wasn't much of a choice; her options were unkind to her. When the time proved to be right, she charged forward.

Savage didn't turn around until he heard a war cry emit behind him. Astrid slammed her flat-end of the blade into the side of Savage's face and watched as he face planted onto the ground. The other four Outcasts took up their arms and aimed them at Astrid.

"Now Stormfly, spine shot!" she shouted while spinning around and indicating the action with her hand movements. Stormfly popped her head up from her hiding place, screeching cheerfully with a smile as she launched her spines forward towards the unguarded Outcasts. Astrid ducked to avoid the spikes; flying over her head, they planted themselves right where the Outcasts use to be before they took off running in the other direction.

With them momentarily distracted, Astrid took the opportunity to steal the prosthetic from Savage's grip. With it now in her possession, she made a run for it towards the exit. Stormfly raced up after her, coming up, she slowed to a steady trot as Astrid jumped up onto her saddle.

The Outcasts readied their crossbows and swords again, but had to dodge another attack from Stormfly as she blasted her white hot fire at their feet. As the road blocks were clear, Astrid and Stormfly took flight and continued to soar up until they were hidden within the cover of the grey clouds.

Savage weakly gets up from where he lay and holds the side of his face with his right hand.

"After them you fools!" he shouts with frustration.

* * *

Stormfly dove down to the large pond, landing near the edge of the waterfall. Astrid hopped off with haste and rushed into the veiled aperture. Toothless lifted up his head and perked his ears as she came forward.

"Hiccup! I got your leg, but we can't stay here…" she said, slowing her pace and kneeling down to his level. He feebly opened his tired eyes when he heard her voice. She quickly replaced the prosthetic and began to lean him forward. He closed his eyes tight and groaned from the movement.

"Come on, we have to go." She said with a soft yet hasty voice.

"What happened…?" Hiccup asked with a hoarse voice.

Astrid sighed, more out of disappointment from her previous actions; "I ran into the Outcasts, they know we're here. They're the ones that shot down you and Toothless; we have to get out of here before they find us."

"…Alvin…?" Hiccup voice seemed to have taken a darker tone with some hidden strength.

"No, just Savage and some of his goons;" Astrid helped him stand up, positioning herself so ninety percent of his body weight could lean on her; and it did.

As they hobbled outside, Stormfly and Toothless following close by, their tracks soon stopped. Surrounding the entire pond and top of the waterfall were Outcasts, their numbers way more than just five.

"Thought you could just get away? We've got things to deliver to Alvin and you're coming with us; dead that is." Savage stated with a wicked smile. His men started to chuckle and raise their weapons. "Get 'em!" He commanded and his men charged forward.

Stormfly and Toothless began to growl as the Outcasts came near. Toothless tried to conceal the fact that he had to lean most of his weight on his right paw, but the enemy saw it and used it to their advantage. While covering Stormfly in a net and jumping on her to keep her mouth shut and head down, they swatted at Toothless' right paw making him jump back and move his weight onto his left. He cried out in pain as his wounded paw couldn't take the pressure and buckled under the weight; the Outcasts climbing on top of him and holding him down like Stormfly.

Astrid tried to sit Hiccup down as fast as she could without dropping him, going for her axe before the Outcasts got to them, but it was too late. By the time she managed to grip her axe's handle, an Outcasts had lunged and hustled her to the ground; more following. She shouted threats and struggled under the weight, but it was fruitless.

Two Outcasts came over to Hiccup's prone body and flipped him over onto his back. The tan cloth that was wrapped around his torso was sporting a growing blood stain on the side. Hiccup turned his head to the left, his eyes shut tight from the pain and his hands feebly moving around to try and grasp something to pull himself up.

"Take 'em out into the woods and get rid of them." Savage ordered, moving his finger across his neck as a sign of execution.

"What about 'im?" One of the Outcasts looming over Hiccup asked.

"I think Alvin would want to execute this one personally." Savage replied, pointing down at Hiccup with a crooked smile.

"No!" Astrid shouted as she was roughly pulled up and dragged away with Stormfly and Toothless. If anybody was shouting the most it was Toothless. Being separated from his Hiccup in the hands of the Outcasts didn't boat with him at all. He moved to fire a plasma blast, but the motion was interrupted as the Outcasts shoved his head down into the dirt.

Astrid watched helplessly as her view of Hiccup disappeared.

* * *

The throbbing pain in his side was all he felt as his ears were filled with unknown murmurs and his beating heart. He tried to move his hands down to his wound, but every time, his hands were grabbed and pulled back to his side. When he struggled to lift them back up, the large hands put weight down and kept them to his side, restraining his movements. He felt like he was being cuffed to a bed, why, he didn't know. The past events were all a white blur to him now. All he could remember was feeling his wound reopen and a blast of pain shoot through his body.

He moaned, his only way of stating his dismay. What he got as a reply were more murmurs, none he could make out in his current state. He felt himself being set down onto a hard surface, which confused him because he could have sworn he was lying down before. The tightness that was wrapped around his torso loosened and fell off, the feeling bringing nothing but more pain as the gash was jerked around. He felt something wet at his side, but when he opened his eyes, all he could see was three blurry figures standing over him and the rest a white haze. More pain shot through him and he lifted his left hand to his wound. Again, it was restraint to his side. He fought back with little strength.

"…Stop…" he whispered almost inaudibly. A voice replied to him, but he couldn't make it out. Suddenly, he felt something unbearable, a sharp knife cutting into his flesh at the wound. He screamed in pain, struggling more now with what he had left to make them stop. He felt his legs restrained by two hands and another keeping his chest down. He shouted louder when he felt the knife make a continuation of his wound, moving down diagonally and then cut clean across.

As the knife was moved away, he heard a murmur of laughter surround him. His body began to erupt with shakes and quivers, his consciousness fading away. He let out another moan, this time it turning into a cry as more pain stabbed his body.

_Stop…_ he thought before passing out.

* * *

**Well this chapter just made this story turn to dark, sorry about that, or I'm not sorry because I think you guys enjoy this kind of stuff.**

**Sorry for any typos, and the next chapter will probably be posted tomorrow. Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm really hopping I won't have to miss The Night and The Fury on Thursday. With what I have going on, there might be a small chance of me having to wait until Friday to watch it online. But that won't happen, I won't let it!**

**Alright, besides that outburst, I'm probably not going to be updating on the days Defenders of Berk air, for me that's Thursday. I don't know, I get too excited for the episode and have absolutely no motivation to type up a new chapter and post it. It's kind of like my designated off day. That and the weekends… I'll try to make sure to update on Fridays; I checked my schedule with the new classes I have for my second quarter and the time is still good—sort of.**

**Enough of that, on with the reading! Thank you all for… you know what you did. Sorry for any typos.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

**In Time of Need**

**Chapter 6**

**~0~**

Hiccup woke with a start, gasping for breath as if he had been holding it for minutes. He hyperventilated for a while before calming down and refocusing. His hands went immediately to his side; the pain still being there, he feared for what he would see. He noticed a new bandage wrapped around his torso, and he also noticed the new blood stain the white fabric had. He fumbled with his fingers as he worked to get the cloth off, his hand shaking from the fear and from the returning strength he was gaining oh so slowly.

He took a breath and bit his lip; removing the fabric away he was relieved to see no additional marks, but rather a sewed cut. Reality didn't strike him until a few seconds later, confusion overcame his expression and he touched the surface of the sore, red skin. He sighed in relief and relaxed his nerves.

_It was just a dream… oh… why; why brain… why must you do this to me?_ He thought with delight. He sighed once more,

_It felt so __**real**__…_

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a voice coming from outside. Taking an interest in his surroundings, Hiccup noticed that he was in a decent sized tent, lying on a wooden table in the middle.

He tried to get up, but couldn't seem to have the strength to. The small adrenaline rush he had when waking up only allowed his to use his hands, and now that it wore off, he was back to being practically paralyzed; and the full pain from the wound emitted with fury.

Despite the circumstances, he still tried to struggle. He managed to lift his upper back off of the table before his muscles caved in and he fell back down. He shut his eyes and focused on anything but the throbbing agony. Looking down at the floor with sorrow and hurt, he decided to listen in on the voices outside. Although they were gone, he did hear what seemed to be… footsteps, coming this way!

His eyes darted up to the tent entrance where Savage and another big, buffy Outcast came in.

"Ah, Hiccup, you're awake." Savage stated with a smile while cupping his hands together out in front of him. He walked around to the other end of the table; Hiccup's narrow eyes never leaving him. As he stopped right next to him, Hiccup tried once more to get up.

"No, no, no, don't get up. We like you better when you're asleep." This time, Hiccup moved his attention over to the other Outcast, the one that, Hiccup just noticed, held a pitcher with an unknown liquid inside.

"I'd ask you not to struggle, but then again, you really can't can you?" Savage's smile never left, and Hiccup's expression changed from courage to dread. The Outcast came up beside him and Savage grabbed Hiccup's throat.

"Open wide,"

* * *

Astrid, Stormfly and Toothless were dragged off into the forest, the two dragons fighting against the lines around their necks and muzzle while they were pulled forward. At least ten Outcasts walked behind them, their staffs and swords pointed towards Astrid and the dragons.

The group came to a clearing and stopped.

"This looks like a good spot; the Night Fury goes first!" one of the Outcasts shouted. The ones holding the ropes for Toothless' collar used their muscles to drag him over to the spot indicated by the other. Though his mouth was muzzled shut, Toothless still growled and fought back with the Outcast scums. They began to pull harder, their footing slipping some when Toothless did the same.

"Get him under control, come on!" one shouted.

"He's stronger then he looks!" one of the Outcasts fighting with Toothless replied. A few more Outcasts came up and began tugging on Toothless' head to try and get him to budge. His narrow eyes homed in on his adversaries as more moved in to help. Toothless noticed how close a few hands were to his muzzle and used the moment to get an advantage. With a short, yet forceful tug backwards, the Outcasts tugged forward in response; as some Outcasts' grips slipped from Toothless' head, their hands grabbed the muzzle and accidentally tugged it off. With his mouth free, Toothless immediately whipped his head up and let out in sonic sonar. The high pitch caused all those around him to bend over with shut eyes and cup their ears. Toothless spun around, now that the men had let go of his rope, and knock three off their feet with his tail. Those three flew into another group of Vikings and they all fell in a heap.

With the distraction made, Stormfly ripped herself free from her captor's grip and used her tail to sling shoot the guy into Astrid's captor; her agitated tail launched all of its spines at the others.

Astrid tore the ropes off of her body and turned around just in time to avoid a punch in the face. Ducking below the swing, she slammed her fists into the stomach and then the jaw. The man fell over and from the looks of things he was down for the count as were all the others.

Toothless roared, growling at the bodies that lay around him; a few that were still awake, froze when Toothless looked at them, trying to make it seem as if they were unconscious. Forgetting about the men, Toothless dashed off in the direction they came, limping slightly as he ran off.

"Toothless!" Astrid hollered after him, but the Night Fury ignored it. "Come on girl, we have to follow him." Astrid said, pulling off the muzzle still around Stormfly's mouth and then hopping onto the saddle. The two raced off after Toothless, leaving the downed Outcasts there on the ground.

* * *

Savage and the other Outcast walked out of the tent and over to the campfire that sat in the middle of their Outcast encampment. The camp was shaped as a circle, three tents sitting on the north side, sharp, jagged logs provided cover for the east and west side, and the entrance was the south. Swords, spears, staffs and axes rested by the east and west end, a decoration of some sort. At least fifteen men littered the camp.

Savage approached five of his men by the fire, stopping in front and throwing to one of them Hiccup's sack of herbs they found near the crash site.

"Go to the ship and call the others, we've got dragons to deliver to Alvin and mine's not carrying 'em." Savage demanded.

"What's this for?" The Outcast Savage threw the sack to asked, pointing at said sack of herbs.

"_We_ could use it later on." Savage answered. The man looked at the sack as if it was a huge burden. "It's just herbs now **go**!" Savage half-hollered, using his bone to point out the direction of the ship. Those five Outcasts departed to do what was ordered of them.

A distant noise caught Savage's attention, and he began looking around for the source. The other remaining ten heard it too, searching their surroundings as well before one noticed something.

"Uh, Savage, since when does fog roll in during the evening?"

"That's not fog you moron, those are Smothering Smokebreaths!" Savage yelled. "Quickly, grab your weapons, ready the nets!" The Outcasts scurried around the camp, grabbing their swords and axes, other the nets to capture and secure Alvin's addition to his growing army.

The fog split down the middle as it reached the edge of the Outcast camp, moving around so the entire area was surrounded in dense white smoke.

"Uh, Savage, how are we supposed to capture something we can't see?" one of the men holding the nets asked.

"We captured those Changewings." Savage replied.

"Yeah, but all I see here is white smoke—" The rest of the Outcast's sentence was lost as he was dragged off into the dense fog; his screams and struggles was all that was heard. The only thing that said Outcasts really screamed was the fact that his helmet was taken from him. The other nine, kept their guard up; searching the fog for any indication of a solid figure lurking about.

The fog suddenly grew inward, the entire camp being engulfed in the dense white mist.

"Ooh this can't be good…" Savage admitted to himself, as his legs disappeared below the fog.

* * *

**I know, I know, terrible spot to stop at, but you all know I'm evil like that. Next chapter will, hopefully get posted tomorrow.**


	7. Chapter 7

**For those of you who don't know what The Night and The Fury is about, well, I haven't seen any descriptions on any of the episode listing websites, but we can get a good idea of what we'll see from some of the previews we've watched. I believe this episode will have the whole, "We do not hunt dragons here on Berk, we ride them." Quote from Hiccup and the whole, "Your move…" with a standoff between Hiccup and Dagur—Hiccup using his new shield. In saying that, I think this episode is going to be even more awesome than the first and second.**

**I seriously hope I'll be able to watch it when it airs, but it's looking iffy for me. I know I can still watch it on livestream Friday, but those videos are a little pixilated and I like watching it on the TV first… L**

**Besides that sorry note—for me—here is chapter 7; I started it early this morning.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

**In Time of Need**

**Chapter 7**

**~0~**

Toothless approached the Outcast camp, his belly low to the ground as he sneaked a peek over the hill. His narrow, slit eyes examined the scenario before him; the entire encampment was surrounded by fog, the barely visible Outcasts in the middle looking a bit edgy. Toothless growled lowly, his senses picking up nearby dragons… the fog ones to be exact. As much as he wanted to elude a tussle with the multiple beasts, he wanted to get his Hiccup more. Perhaps with the Smokebreaths occupied with the Outcast's metal, he could sneak in and retrieve his rider?

Toothless let the question answer for itself as he slid up over the hill and down toward the camp. His ears flickered every which way when he heard the small grey dragons. They hissed at his presence, but Toothless hissed back a neutral compromise. The smoke was ideal for his cover, and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity of getting his Hiccup out with no problem.

However, when he heard, and even saw at times, the Outcasts moving around and trying to fight away the Smokebreaths, the fire deep within him would build up and he had to stop himself before releasing a plasma blast. These men were below evil to him right now; kidnapping his little Hiccup when he was far too injured to do anything at all. The Outcasts sure know how to take 'low' to a whole new level.

Three tents sat together in a line, one holding his rider, the others, Toothless didn't care. He sniffed the air, his sent picking up on the Smokebreaths around him. Turning his head, he growled another warning, the beasts being a little too stubborn for Toothless' taste. He sniffed the air again and found Hiccup's scent; the middle tent. He used his snout to open the flaps, and crawled inside before anyone noticed—not that they would within the dense smoke.

Hiccup lay on the wooden table, his legs a little bent and his arms at his side. His head lolled off to the left, facing away from the entrance and Toothless. The Night Fury moved around the table so that Hiccup's face was facing him. His eyes no longer narrowed, but wide and worried; he inspected Hiccup, cooing to get his attention and wake him up. Hiccup remained asleep with no reaction. Toothless then nudged his cheek with his snout, still no response.

His ears perked at the sound of a struggle outside, his eyes lifting off of Hiccup and searching the flaps for any movement. When there was none, he turned his attention back down to Hiccup. He cooed nudged him again, but Hiccup remained unconscious. Placing his forepaw, since the left one was still injured, he loomed over top and nudged Hiccup's chest, jerking his entire body. Nothing…

Toothless' black ears slumped against his head, a sorrowful coo escaping his mouth. His head whipped up when he sensed the Smokebreath's presence leaving, the sound of struggle dying down. Footsteps came towards the tent and Toothless retracted his teeth and growled at the entrance.

Savage burst through the tent door, shocked to see Toothless behind Hiccup, his white teeth showing and his narrow eyes staring daggers at him. Toothless didn't give him any time to recuperate and hopped up onto the table; his paws gripping the edges so that Hiccup was safely underneath him as he roared.

Savage thanked the gods for his quick reaction time as he found himself narrowly avoiding a plasma blast to the face. Backing up and diving down into the dirt behind him, the amethyst light traveled past him and hit another Outcast that was behind Savage. That guy shot backwards into a tree, sliding down to the ground and passing out.

Another roared emitted from the tent, causing the remaining Outcasts to look. After the Smothering Smokebreath attack, the Outcast's numbers dwindled from ten to six; now there were five, including Savage.

Savage stood up and clenched his bone tightly in his hand, his teeth gritting together. Why was that every time they got ahead start on something, fate seemed to take the Berkians' side?

"Kill that—" he began shouting before one of his soldiers interrupted him unwillingly.

"Look out!" Savage's attention turned to see a hoard of Nadder spines launched at them. Again they ducked and shielded themselves from the danger.

Astrid and Stormfly pranced out of the forest and into the camp grounds. They slid to a halt in front of the five, Stormfly's spines up and Astrid clutching her axe.

"We can do this the hard way or the easy way." She announced.

The five remaining Outcasts looked at each other; with most of their weapons taken from them by the Smothering Smokebreaths and their numbers less than half of what they started with, they all knew what their next move was. It surely shocked Astrid though.

The Outcast turned tail and ran, dashing towards the shoreline where their boat was. Astrid watched as they ran, chuckling at their victory.

"Wow, they were actually smart for once." She commented with a gleeful smile. The sudden realization of Hiccup snapped her back to her previous self and she jumped off of the saddle and rushed over to the tent; judging by the growl of a Night Fury, Hiccup was held in the middle one.

Upon opening the flap, she saw Toothless standing over Hiccup's prone form on the table; his eyes narrow and his teeth bared until he recognized it was Astrid. His teeth retracted, his mouth closed, his eyes widening back to normal, and his head tilting to the left, and indication that he knew, trusted and liked Astrid. Astrid approached Hiccup on the table, Toothless hopping off and retaking his last position on the opposite side.

Astrid grasped his shoulders and shook him a little, "Hiccup? Hiccup, wake up." She whispered, taking his chin in her hand and turning his head over to face her.

"Hiccup…?" She tried one more time, but the results proved unsuccessful. Astrid's eyes got distracted by an Outcast bag lying on the side of the table. She furrowed her eye brows and picked it up, rummaging inside. A piece of fabric brushed by her hand and she pulled it out.

A dark grey cloth lay in her hand; Toothless looked at it, and then glanced up at Astrid, her eyes catching his. She stuffed the cloth into Hiccup's satchel and lifted him up off the table bride style. Leaving the tent, the two rejoined with Stormfly and the four took off towards the shoreline.

* * *

Whispering, dragon coos and the sound of rushing water alerted Hiccup to his new environment. His breath raced to catch up to his current state of mind as he fluttered his eyes open and lazily turned his head towards the whispers. To the left of him was Astrid fumbling around with Toothless' tail, Toothless himself laying down behind Hiccup, his stomach once again used as a cushion for Hiccup. In front and quite a distant away was the beach and further out, the sea. Toothless noticed Hiccup's reawakening and nudged his hand with his nose.

"Hey, bud." Hiccup said with a smile, petting Toothless' snout.

"There," Hiccup's head turned towards Astrid to the left, "that looks good." Astrid said, observing her work of Toothless' makeshift tail.

"Connecting rod." Hiccup said with a weak, but stronger than before voice. Astrid's head veered over to him. "You have to connect the connecting rod." Hiccup informed, pointing out the fact that said rod was just a little detached from its compartment. Astrid blushed and fixed it, moving her bangs out of her face as she looked back up at Hiccup. She sat down beside him, checking his wound to see if any more blood seeped through.

"It's fine," Hiccup said, placing his hand on hers. "It doesn't hurt as much."

"I don't know what the Outcasts did to you."

"To be honest, neither do I." Hiccup added; the "dream" he had didn't seem like a dream at all, but with no mark to prove anything, he was left in the dark as Astrid was.

"The important thing is is that I'm okay." He continued.

Astrid smiled, "And… we can finally leave the island." She stood up and gestured to Toothless' tail. "Toothless is now capable of flight."

Hiccup smiled as well, the good news brightening both of their days. Soon they would be able to head back home, he would get some real treatment for his injuries, and they'll all be safe once again under Berk's protection.

The only problem with Hiccup at the moment was how he was going to tell his dad.

* * *

**Hahahahahehehehehe….HA! No cliffhanger this time! AND the story's not over ****yet****!**

**Sorry for any typos and thank you all for reading and doing other things! Until Friday, have a nice day(s)!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright, since I'm not working on the weekends, I may be able to update… maybe. My boyfriend and I always hang out on the weekends, so there's a good chance I'll be busy.**

**Anybody who has not watched The Night and the Fury has got to be super excited for it because it is one of the best episodes I've seen! Not saying anymore, no spoilers.**

**Thank you all for your support; sorry for any typos I missed…**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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**In Time of Need**

**Chapter 8**

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Astrid helped lift Hiccup up onto Toothless' saddle, the struggle causing more pain than Hiccup wanted. Once on, he used what muscle he could to stay balanced and not fall back off. As soon as he was up, Astrid jumped on, sitting in front of Hiccup so she could steer Toothless. Wrapping Hiccup's arms around her torso and holding on to them with her left hand, she searched the stirrup with her foot until she heard a rewarding click, wiggling it around in order to check and make sure everything was set. Toothless twirled around and faced the ocean, wings spanning out.

Astrid turned over to Stormfly who stood off to Toothless' left, "Stormfly, follow." Astrid commanded, motioning her hand to better clarify. When Toothless jumped up into the air, Astrid turned the stirrup and Toothless flapped his wings to gain more height. Stormfly took flight, following Toothless as they made their way back to Berk; the moon full in the dark midnight sky.

Hiccup closed his eyes as his head unconsciously bowed; his hands clenching together tightly. Astrid felt the sudden contraction and glanced back at him.

"Hiccup, is everything okay?" The pulsating pain that seared through his body gave him little power to speak, his replies being only grunts.

"Toothless, level off!" Astrid hastily commanded. The ascent was stopped and Toothless leveled his flight pattern. He cooed and tilted his head back to see what was wrong with his Hiccup, worry evident in his eyes. The pain began to leave as the motions of Toothless' body smoothed.

"Hiccup…?" Astrid asked one more time, her head twisting back as far as it could reach. Hiccup's head was leaning against her back, his face concealed by her.

"I'm fine now," he answered in a low raspy voice.

"Are you sure? You don't sound okay…" Astrid pushed.

Hiccup opened his eyes and looked straight ahead, "Astrid…" Hiccup said weakly, his eyes becoming too heavy for him.

Astrid sensed this, "Hiccup, stay awake."

"…Astrid…"

"You have to stay awake for me—"

"Look…" Hiccup interrupted her making her turn her head straight. A group of dragons were traveling towards them, following below was a ship. Astrid's heart jumped down to her stomach as the first thing she thought of was Alvin and a group of his trained dragons, but her emotions calmed when she recognized a certain blue Thunderdrum and a certain Viking chief riding it.

"It's Stoick, and the others!" she called out happily, their predicament finally taking a turn for the better. Toothless roared with joy as well as Stormfly as the four of them flew over to the others.

Stoick spotted Toothless and Stormfly, a little worried about the fact that Astrid wasn't riding Stormfly and instead controlling Toothless' tail. As the two got closer, his heart dropped when he found that answer. His reaction, being his skin seemingly dropping its color as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped, was the same for the other riders as they saw Hiccup's beaten form. His head was resting against Astrid's back, face turned to the right. The rapped cloth and obvious cut on his temple turned on Stoick's fatherly instincts immediately.

"Hiccup!" he shouted, steering Thornado over so they were flying beside Toothless. Stoick got another look at his son and didn't like what he saw.

"What… happened…?!" Stoick demanded with severe anger.

"The Outcasts are what happened… Hiccup needs medical treatment quickly!" Astrid replied, more willing to share her story later. Stoick agreed and pointed down at the ship.

"Down to the ship." He ordered, Astrid nodded her head and led Toothless downward.

Landing on the wooden deck, Toothless limped slightly as he tried to rebalance his weight off of his injured paw. Astrid grasped both of Hiccup's arms, waiting until one of the passengers on the ship came up to them; Sven. Sven held his hands out, him and Astrid working together to get Hiccup off of the saddle as gently as possible. Astrid leaned his body downward, Sven catching him in a cradling position and carried him over to the mast. Astrid hopped off right when Thornado landed and Stoick jumped off. The other riders and dragons landed on the ship.

Stoick ran over to Sven and Hiccup, taking his son's limp form from the man and into his own arms. Stoick didn't move from his spot, instead knelt down on his knees and used them to pillow Hiccup's head as he laid him down on the deck. He looked him over again, his hand lightly touching Hiccup's cheek.

"What's wrong with him?" Stoick asked in a soft emotional voice.

"I'm not sure if he got his cuts from the crash, but when I found him and Toothless, they were trapped under a tree." Astrid answered her voice almost impassive when she recalled the details.

"Tell me everything that happened…" Stoick said as he looked at her with a stern expression.

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Hiccup lay on the table near the forge's fire pit, a blanket draped over his lower body as his chest and midsection was covered with renewed bandages; his skin slightly pale. Stoick sat beside him assisting Gobber whenever he needed the help. His left hand held Hiccup's, occasionally his other would comb through his son's hair.

Hiccup's condition changed little when the accident occurred. The Outcasts, from what Astrid told him, did little to help—not that it was surprising—and despite the care and medicine already given to him when they got back to Berk, his body seemed to reject it. Hiccup has been unconscious since Stoick and the other dragon riders found him and Astrid; the only other time he remembered something like this was with the aftermath of the Red Death, when Hiccup lost his leg. There wasn't any signs of bone damage; he had numerous cuts and bruises on his skin, but nothing they couldn't handle. Why didn't Hiccup wake up?

Stoick kept asking this question over and over again in his head, his own face expression showing it as Gobber caught on. Setting down the wash cloth, he walked up to Hiccup and Stoick and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Don't worry Stoick, he'll be fine." Gobber reassured him. Stoick didn't reply but instead closed his eyes and bowed his head. Gobber looked at his friend with sorrow, seeing Hiccup like this made him want to go kill a chicken, but he couldn't imagine Stoick's pain... his only son...

A small knock sounded off of the exterior wall of the forge. Walking over to the orange curtains drawn over the doorways and windows, Gobber peeled a flap back and found the teens standing outside.

Astrid brought her hand away from the wood from which she knocked on, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff standing behind her all sporting the same expression.

"Can we see Hiccup?" She asked, speaking for all of them. Gobber stepped aside and motioned them in, one by one they entered. As the kids came in, they each got a look at their closest friend.

"Whoa..." Snotlout said sorrowfully. He's seen people get beaten up before, but his cousin's wounds were more than bad.

Fishlegs squeaked, his hands coming up to his chest as he saw his friend lay in pain, his mind possibly lost in a limbo.

"Oh man..." Ruffnut said, her voice low as her and her brother looked at Hiccup's beaten body.

Astrid was the only one who understood the severity of the situation. Hiccup was near death the entire time they were trapped on Breakneck Bog. Being attacked by Smothering Smokebreaths, captured by the Outcasts, constant movement to his battered and sore body, Hiccup's condition wouldn't be as bad now if she had just been able to keep him still and out of harms way. She knew she couldn't blame herself, there wasn't much she could do with all that happened, but it didn't change the fact that she felt semi responsible.

She looked at Hiccup, then at Stoick, and finally up at Gobber whom she direction her question to.

"Do you think he'll be alright?"

"He'll be fine, might take a while for him to wake up, but he needs the rest. It's getting late, I'd let you all stay, but your parents will kill me if I let you stay up any longer." Gobber stated. All five of them sighed, but complied as they filed out, Astrid being the last. She got a last minute glance at Hiccup before she left the forge and headed home.

"Gobber," Gobber turned his head when he heard his name called, Stoick continued, "Can you help me bring him back to the house.?"

Gobber shook his head and uttered, "Of course Stoick."

"Thank you."

Stoick seemed impassive at the moment, but Gobber knew he was holding his anger, anger that would have to be released sometime soon. Until then, Stoick would be able to stay stable enough to function properly... and think clearly. He was stubborn and strong, two traits Hiccup clearly possessed as well.

As Stoick bent to pick Hiccup up, Hiccup's left hand tightened in Stoick's grasp and he looked down. Two forest green eyes looked back up at him, tired, half open, and full of pain, but his lips adorned a smile.

Stoick smiled back, carrying him out of the forge and up to the house with Gobber following with some supplies.

Hiccup was safe now, and everything was going to be alright.

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**Happy ending!**

**I honestly thought there was going to be more, but I was able to actually end it here. I'm in the process of creating another story, over the weekend I should be able to come up with the entire idea and possibly post the first chapter on Monday. Not sure what it's title is yet, but I'll put it up on my profile before posting.**

**Thank you all again for reading!**


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